“I get frustrated when people use the term ‘bipolar’ loosely. Like, they say ‘Oh, I can’t decide what movie to watch, I’m so bipolar.’ You don’t say, ‘I can’t decide what movie to watch, I’m so cancer.’”

While you may not have realized that it’s hurtful to call yourself bipolar when you’re just being indecisive or erratic, the singer and actress is using her influence to help educate people about mental health. Lovato even just produced the documentary, Beyond Silence, that follows three people who have spoken out about their mental illnesses.

“There’s a stigma surrounding mental health issues because nobody talks about it. When you spread awareness and create conversation, that’s when you realize mental health conditions aren’t anything out of the norm. They’re very common. They shouldn’t be judged. They should be accepted.”

Unfortunately, that stigma sometimes comes with a lack of education, awareness, and sensitivity to people with mental illness, as she noted by discussing people using the word “bipolar” in a glib way.

If that is a term you use in casual conversation, just take a moment to think about what it must really be like to have bipolar disorder and use that empathy to create a more positive, understanding way of speaking. Not only will Lovato thank you for it, but so will the many others in the world who cope with mental illness.